The Labor enquirer., 1887-09-17

between the farmers and the
knights of the wheat exchange?
All round me as ] write are men
who years ago found the land free,
and have to-day full, unrestricted
access to it. this moment they
are trembling as to the intentions
of Mr.. William Dresbach of San
Francisco. recently, ] am told, a
bankrupt retail grocer. For Mr..
Dresbach has the grip on them,
and seems to be able to raise or
/ lower the price of their grain al
most indefinitely. 1t is true that
they have as against him monop-
oily of the soil, but he has what in
this case is more valuable-brains
and unlimited financial backing.
That he is allowed to use his op-
portunities for the slaughter of his
kind is owing to our accursed phi
losophy of Individual natural
rights, the bird of prey philosophy
that Mr.. George affects, but only
affects. to be a believer in. | saw
affects" because deeds are more
eloquent than words, and | know
that in practice he would always
disdain to exercise those competi-
tive rights he SO enthusiastically
claims for Others. AS against the
unscrupulous Dresbach he will
therefore be at a disadvantage,
and, that he may have an equal
chance, we propose to suppress
the Dresbach. We propose also,
lest the type should repeat itself,
to have done once and for all with
Dresbachian methods. Mean
while, would it not be safer for Mr..
Post to argue from existing con-
crete facts, instead of from the
airy distractions of his own inge-
NOUS fancy?
Land is the primal fact that
makes existence possible. Why
harp upon that strain which every
school boy knows by hearth 1t is
the defense of private property in
land that you have to meet; the
landlords plea that it is thus ren-
dered more productive; the capi-
talist's plea that the whole system
of distribution depends upon an
elaborate series ofexchanges based
primarily upon the security of pri-
vate property in land.
To overthrow the landlord IS
plea you must show more pro-
ductive administrative scheme,
and we say that the promiscuous
letting out of land to irresponsible
highest bidders is not an ideal or
even very practicable scheme.
! for one object to Dives, who
has robbed us all so long, having
the pick of the town sites, for
which he alone could pay the rent,
while poor, defrauded Lazarus has
still to pine upon the frontier. If
he is entitled to as good life
as Dives-who, indeed, should by
this time have had his 6ll-he
must, | think, look to something
beyond his share of the national
rental.
But when we turn to Mr.. George
for an answer to the capitalists
objection to his little remedy, viz,
that the whole system of credit,
upon which distribution is based,
will be revolutionized from top to
toe, what answer do we get?
None, practically none, and GER
tainly none practical. Words, idle,
almost to my mind the idlest
words that have asyetbeen uttered.
Frantic assurances to one side of
the house, that, though it may
wear an angry front, this is no rev.
olution but peaceable, legally or
thodox reform, as an eminent
Judge will testify. Believe us,
this is not lion, it is only bottom
the weaver" And to the other
side, where the unsophisticated
toiler sits. such sounding periods
as that the competition they have